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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: race · mouse · mine · can · swing · tube · tear · chair

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. tube — a container
  3. can — to be able to
  4. race — the arms race
  5. tear — from crying
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. race — humankind
  8. tube — the underground
  9. swing — in golf
  10. race — a contest
  11. tear — to rip
  12. swing — to play on
  13. can — a tin
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. swing — music
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mine — for digging
  19. tear — from crying
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. chair — a leader

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com